Keeping the Faith
by Brightly75
Summary: After Buffy's death, Faith and the rest of the Angel Investigations crew go to Sunnydale to help with the Slayage
1. The Dream

Faith woke up with sweat streaming down her face, mingling with the tears that had already fallen.  
  
"Buffy," She gasped. That was the one thought that had occupied her during her stint in jail. How to make it up to the one person that had tried to get close enough to her to help.  
  
The rogue slayer got out of bed and made her way toward Angel's room, hoping that she wasn't going to disturb him. She hated to impose. He had accepted her with open arms when she was released from prison after only one year. The mayor had erased the murders, and since she was a minor at the time of the assaults, they had given her a reduced sentence. So she was out, unbeknownst to the Sunnydale Gang. She wanted to make amends with them, but not until after she made up with the LA crew and proved herself to be reformed. She peeked in Angel's door and was relieved to find him awake.  
  
"Hey Faith. Are you ok?" he asked as he noticed her.  
  
"Normally, I would say five by five, but I'm not." She stated.  
  
Angel crossed over to her and put his arms around her looking at her with concern. "What's wrong?" he questioned.  
  
"I just had this wicked bad dream. But it wasn't like the usual, with my mom and stuff, or even the night of the fight, or getting shot at by those watcher guys. This was real bad Angel. I dreamed that B died. I saw her falling into this huge pool of lightning. She just died, snuffed out." The girl shuddered at the memory.  
  
Angel took her face into his hands, and stared into her eyes. "It's ok. It was just a dream. If anything happened to Buffy we'd know."  
  
She smiled wanly, "I know we would, but it just felt so real ya know? It was like a part of my soul had gotten ripped out. She was gone and I never got to say good-bye, or tell her that I was sorry, or that-," she cut herself off. "But you're right; it's probably just residual guilt. I still want to apologize and I haven't so it's getting to me." She smiled at Angel and gave him a quick hug before turning to leave the room.  
  
The dark slayer sighed. She knew that Buffy had tried to help her.  
  
"But that was before I was ready to be helped," Faith mused, "I was like an addict, I had to hit rock bottom before I could start to climb back up." "Now I just hope that it's not too late to try to make it up to her."  
  
She sighed. "Since I'm not getting anymore sleep tonight, I might as well do something useful," the dark slayer muttered as she wandered down to the room that Angel had set up for her to train in.  
  
Had confusing thoughts not befuddled her slayer senses, she would have heard the vampire with a soul, awake, pacing in his bedroom, contemplating what had been discussed.  
  
"So she dreams of Buffy..." He wondered what it meant. 


	2. The Call

After a grueling work out, and a shower, Faith made her way downstairs to the main office of Angel Investigations. Cordelia was on the phone, hopefully with a client. Faith was antsy for some real action, not just the namby pamby vamps that were more than a little slow after feeding off stoners. Faith went to fix a cup of coffee, no cream, 4 sugars, and sat down on the couch as Cordy, the putative receptionist, hung up the phone.  
  
"Hey Queen C, what's the what? We gotta new big bad to take out or were you just talking to the most recent Mr. Wrong?"  
  
"Shut up Faith. For your information, David is not Mr. Wrong, he's not really Mr. Right either, but he is Mr. I-have-a-black-2002-corvette, and that's enough for me right now. Not that it's any of your business," Cordelia spat venomously at her former enemy.  
  
"I stand corrected. But seriously, do we have a case? Faith asked backing off. She didn't really want an argument that might damage her wary friendship with Cordelia.  
  
"We do. And if you'll go round up the boys, I'll tell you all about it," the seer responded, accepting the unspoken olive branch the slayer offered.  
  
As Faith wandered off through the Hyperion, Cordelia regarded her backside quizzically. Faith had changed. Or rather been changed. The younger girl refused to talk about what had occurred in prison, even to Angel. She had divulged some aspects of her past to the 200+-year-old vamp, but he wouldn't say anything to Cordelia about it. Saying, "If she wants you to know, she'll tell you," effectively ending any discussion on the topic. But even the former high school cheerleader, could tell that this wasn't the same Faith that had given her a black eye, or even the same girl that had bragged about slaying naked.  
  
The sounds of footsteps approaching from the hallway where Faith had disappeared brought Cordelia out of her reverie. Angel, Wesley, and Gunn entered the room and sat down on the leather couches in the reception area, followed by Faith, and surprisingly Detective Kate Lockley.  
  
"Hey boys. Hey Katie."  
  
Detective Lockley made a show of rolling her eyes at the use of the nickname. It didn't really bother her coming from Cordelia, but if any one else had tried it, they'dve gotten a bullet between the eyes.  
  
Wesley queried," What is it Cordelia, Faith said something about some new evil."  
  
"Well boys, I've just secured us some cash flow. Lord knows we need it, I mean there is a sale next week at..." Cordelia began.  
  
"Get to the point Cordy," Angel commanded.  
  
That brought her up short. "Ok as I was saying, we've been contacted by a guy-"  
  
Once again, she was interrupted, this time, by the phone ringing. Angel got up and answered it, "Angel Investigations, we help the helpless." The vampire's brow furrowed as he listened to the voice on the other end. Minutes passed and the others began to look around at each other. Confusion mirrored on all of their faces. As Angel picked up the phone and turned to face the group, they were all shocked by the pain etched on his face.  
  
"We're going to Sunnydale," he said simply.  
  
"What about our job?" Cordelia asked.  
  
"Cancel it, Postpone it, I don't care, but we've got to go to Sunnydale now," the vamp replied as he strode purposely out of the room to go pack.  
  
"Great off to Sunnydale to do more pro bono work. Some of us have a living to make you know," She yelled at the retreating figure.  
  
"Cordelia," a British accent interjected from behind her, "Please shut up." She looked at Wesley in shock. He had never taken that tone with her." Now I suggest that you go to your apartment and pick up some clothing and whatever else you will need for a visit to Sunnydale." He spun on his heel and walked out of the front door closely followed by Gunn.  
  
Still somewhat shaken by the abruptness with which she had been treated by first Angel, then Wesley, the former May Queen made her way toward her desk to contact the spurned client. As she was doing so, Faith turned to Kate.  
  
"Well, Lockley, sorry we didn't get to talk, but as you can see, something has come up. See ya after we get back from good ol' Sunnyhell," the southie slayer drawled with a shrug.  
  
"Hell no. You aren't getting rid of me that easily. The department owes me some vacation time and since I'm between cases, I think I'll tag along and see some of this town that I've heard so much about."  
  
"Suit yourself, but I'll warn ya in advance, it's not much to write home about, which is ok if you were me, not really having a home to write to ya know," Faith replied, with just a touch of wistfulness in her eyes.  
  
Kate filed that away for a later date and said simply, "Be back soon ready and rarin' to go." With that she turned and left.  
  
As the door shut behind the detective, Faith turned to Cordelia as she got off the phone. "Better hurry and get packed. I'm going to go check on the big guy and pack myself." She grinned, and continued depreciatively, "But that won't take me long, ya know, how hard can it be to pack for a biker sluts anonymous convention?" She winked at Cordelia, who even had the grace to blush as she heard her words being thrown back in her face. With that Faith headed upstairs to the third level of the hotel, resolving to pack and then search out the vampire that had been and still was her savior. Something was up, she could tell. 


	3. The News

She wandered into Angel's room, to find him packed, and sitting on the edge of his bed, head in his hands. She crossed the room and knelt beside him, pulling aside his hands to gaze into his eyes. "What's up Angel? I've never seen a call from Sunnydale get you so shook before. Don't feed me some lame ass line about some big bad; something had to have happened otherwise you wouldn't have blown us all off like that."  
  
Angel sighed. He opened his mouth, and then shut it. He had been about to lie to her, but one look into those chocolate brown eyes, set in the face of the girl that he had come to regard as a little sister, and knowing that he was one of very few people that she trusted, and he couldn't do it. He opened his mouth to begin again. "Well, that was Giles on the phone," She nodded for him to continue. He took a deep breath and rushed on, "You know the dream you had, it must have been a slayer dream. Because Buffy's, well, she's gone Faith. She's dead."  
  
Faith wiped away the blood tears that had started to fall. Angel needed her now. She could grieve later. Just then they heard the noises of the rest of the group reentering the office area. One of the perks of slayer and vamp hearing. With that they both stood and went to face the group.  
  
The staff and friends of Angel Investigations convened on the main level of the Hyperion Hotel. Angel stood in front of them and explained what had happened to Buffy. Apparently she had gone head to head with a hell goddess. She had defeated the goddess, Glory, but not in time to keep a portal to hell from opening. She had then jumped into the doorway opened by the blood of her sister, who wasn't really human apparently, but a supernatural key. Her sacrifice of her blood, which was technically speaking, the same as Dawn's blood, closed the gateway. So with the slayer gone, Sunnydale suddenly needed serious help from those used to doing battle with supernatural forces before it became the haven for demons like Ft. Lauderdale was for the elderly.  
  
They sat in silence, those from Sunnydale shocked by the enormity of what happened. Those that were not from the hellmouth silent in respect for their friends. Finally, the silence was broken by Faith. "Big guy, I'm all for going in like the cavalry, but the Scoobies are not going to be very happy to see me, especially since they don't know that I've gotten out of the big house."  
  
Angel averted his eyes, "Well actually they do." She looked up at him shocked. He continued before she could lay into him for lying to her. "Just Giles though. He was in contact with me while you were still in prison. He wanted to know how you were doing. He knows mistakes were made by everyone and wanted to be kept up to date with your progress, so that eventually you could get back to slaying, if that was what you wanted. He didn't tell Buffy or any of the rest of the gang."  
  
Faith visibly relaxed from the tense posture that she had adopted when Angel began his explanation. "Well, there's nothing I can do about it now, and it'll make things easier when we get to the 'dale, so I guess it's of the good. We'll talk about it later though Soul boy."  
  
That decision made, the group of seven made their way to the still intact parking garage of the hotel and into the Suburban with darkly tinted windows so that they could begin their trip without a dish of vampire flambé. 


	4. The Return

Two and a half hours later, the Suburban pulled up in front of Angel's mansion. As Angel hurried inside under the cover of a blanket and the others moved to unload their belongings and weapons from the cargo hold of the vehicle, Faith gazed up at the house. She shuddered involuntarily. 'I'm sorry it got that far B. I never meant to hurt you, I just felt like I could never touch you, so I had to prove myself.' She thought, remembering the torture she had put Buffy through while trying to steal Angel's soul.  
  
If you're a screamer B. Feel free…  
  
Kate came up behind raven haired girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You ok Faith?" she asked shaking Faith from her reverie.  
  
"What? Oh yeah, I'm five by five," she stammered as she turned away to pick up her bag and her share of the weaponry. Kate shook her head at the supernaturally strong young woman walking slowly toward the house. 'I know something is up around here. These people just can't tell you everything. That would make too much sense. And Lord only knows they can't do anything that makes sense.'  
  
As Kate followed Faith into the living room of the house, she was greeted by Wesley's voice. "Ah... There you are. Is that everything from the car? Right then, Angel has taken to the sewers to make his way to Giles' store. He asked me to tell everyone to find a room for themselves and install their belongings there. The weapons can be put in the armory, and then we are to make our way to the shop in the Suburban."  
  
Following instructions, everyone dispersed to look for rooms. The former watcher and Gunn took rooms on the first floor in the east wing down the hall from each other. Cordelia and Kate surprised everyone, by selecting adjoining rooms on the first floor of the west wing. Faith decided to brave the second floor. 'I didn't spend anytime up here last time, maybe I'll be able to get some sleep, especially with these black out curtains Mr. Tall Dark and Broody stocked up on. 'She sat down on the edge of the bed, unconsciously mirroring the pose she had found Angel in earlier that day. Head in her hands, she allowed the tears to fall. Not just for Buffy's death, but for the apology she would never get to make, and the forgiveness she would never get to have. She stayed that way, tears running down her face with abandon, until the sound of footsteps on the stairs reached her. 'Thank God for slayer hearing' she thought as she hurriedly wiped the tears off her face and checked her make up. She turned on her heel to face Kate as she entered the room. "We ready?" she asked the cop before a word could escape the woman's mouth.  
  
Kate, a little shocked by the abruptness, furrowed her brow a little before replying, "Yeah we're all in the car."  
  
"Well, shit, you should have come and gotten me sooner, don't want to be late to this little party. Hell, I'd be late to my own funeral," Realizing what she said the former member of the Chosen Two, now the Chosen One, felt tears well up in her eyes. She blinked them away and ignored Kate's inquiring look as she strode past her, out the door and down the stairs, to the waiting vehicle.  
  
Kate had no choice but to follow. 


	5. The Initial Meeting

Rupert Giles looked up from the records he was balancing when the bell above the door tinkled. In walked Wesley, Cordelia, Faith, a strange woman, and an unfamiliar black man. "Umm, well, hello... everyone."  
  
"Giles," Wesley acknowledged with a nod. "You know Cordelia and Faith already. This lady here is Detective Kate Lockley of the LAPD, and this is Charles Gunn, another member of the Angel Investigations staff."  
  
"Yes, well. Pleased to meet you all. Please make yourselves comfortable." As he was saying that Angel emerged from the back room where the entrance to the sewers was located. He nodded at everyone in greeting.  
  
Faith asked, "Hey G-man," at the look he gave her she amended her start, "Giles. Not that I'm complaining or anything, but I kind of expected there to be more people here. Namely the other charter members of the We- hate-psycho-slayers Club. "  
  
"I decided that it would be best if I met with you and discussed what was to be done with all of you, before I informed the others of your return."  
  
"Ok. It's your call, but as I remember they weren't too happy with the knowledge that I had woken up from that 8 month nap B put me down for, and they were warned about that. They don't even know that I'm out of jail yet, so you springing the news that I'm here and about to join the Sunnydale white hat squad is really not going to result in a group hug."  
  
"Yes well, "Giles replied looking a little unsure of himself, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, we've much to discuss." 


	6. The Confrontation

Faith sat on a table in The Magic Box. She had just finished an intensive training session sparring with Angel under Giles' supervision. The two of them were talking about the plan of action. Faith just stared off into space, her thoughts blocking out the conversation around her. 'I can't believe I've been in good ol' Sunny D for two weeks and haven't seen Red, Blondie, or the X-man. Can't say that I'm not glad. Cause I know that I'm sorry isn't going to cut it with them. Especially not Red. She sure can be a bitch when she wants to. What was it that B called that look? Red's resolve face or somethin'… But whatever… I did some severely fucked up shit back then, but I was fucked up too. Not to mention the fact that I wasn't the only one that was in the wrong there. But hell, can't speak ill of the dead. Couldn't bring myself to speak ill of her alive either for that matter'  
  
The bell above the door stopped the conversation between Angel and Giles and stunned Faith out of her reverie. The three of them looked toward the door and saw a very pissed off looking red-haired witch, a frightened looking blonde witch, a shocked Xander, and an indifferent looking girl, who Faith assumed was the ex-vengeance demon, Anya, who the former watcher had told them about.  
  
"Oh dear," Giles muttered. "This is not at all how I wanted this to happen."  
  
"Giles! What is psycho slayer doing here? In your magic shop looking for all the world like you don't have a problem with this. Isn't she supposed to be in prison with the rest of the criminals?" Xander yelled from the doorway.  
  
"And the yelling starts," Faith commented, sounding more sure of herself than she felt.  
  
"Damn straight there's going to be some yelling. You almost killed Xander, you threatened me, you were mean to Tara, you slept with Buffy's boyfriend, held Joyce hostage, and stole Buffy's body. Now you show up here with Angel, who you tried to kill more than once, might I add, acting as if nothing has happened," Willow exclaimed.  
  
"Do either of you have anything to add?" Giles asked Tara and Anya. They shook their heads to the negative. "In that case, I would like to inform you all that Faith is here because I asked her to be. She has been out of prison for 6 months now. She has been staying in LA with Angel working with Wesley, Cordelia, and Gunn to dispose of any demonic or vampiric activity there. She has proven herself well, getting out of prison partially due to her good behavior. With Buffy gone, we need some assistance. This is still a hell mouth and without a slayer we are at a distinct disadvantage against the powers of darkness," the British man lectured.  
  
"We've been getting along fairly well since Buffy died. Why can't we wait until the new slayer gets here?" Xander asked.  
  
"We have gotten along well because there is always a lull after a major supernatural event. As to the question of a new slayer there isn't going to be one," Giles responded.  
  
"No new slayer? But Buffy died. Isn't that how it works? One dies another is called?" Xander countered.  
  
"Buffy died before, I'm sure you remember, considering you were the one that revived her, Xander. Her death called Kendra. It was Kendra's death that called Faith. The call resides within Faith now. Only the most recently called Slayer is the vessel of the call," Giles explained.  
  
"That presents us with a solution to the Faith dilemma then doesn't it?" Willow said, never turning her venomous gaze from Faith's face.  
  
Angel spoke for the first time since the group's entry into the shop, "That's about enough of this. I know there are some issues here…"  
  
"Issues! She's a cold blooded killer!" Willow shrieked.  
  
"Isn't that what you just suggested a couple minutes ago there Red," Faith asked mockingly.  
  
"As I was saying," Angel continued before Willow could respond. "I know there are some unresolved issues here." Willow snorted, but Angel gave her a look and continued. "But we're all on the same side here. I've been working side by side with Faith for months now, so have Wesley and Cordelia. We're all still alive. Giles has been training with Faith for the past week and a half. No bruises. She has changed and I hope you'll have enough respect for those of us you trust to work things out with her. If not, we hate to lose the help, but we can't abandon all the helpless inhabitants of the hell mouth to whatever evil pops up next."  
  
"Wow, big guy, I think that's the longest speech I've ever heard you make. And all for little old me," Faith said smiling at him quickly to indicate her gratitude. She turned back to the others. "You all know that I'm not the type to let others fight my battles. So I'm going to say some stuff and a lot of it you might not like, or you might not be ready to hear, but I'm asking you to listen." When no interruption followed that last statement, she continued. "I'm sorry for everything I did. I know that seems like too little too late, but I am. I screwed up big time and now I have to atone for my mistakes. I spent a year in a cell with a lot of free time to go over past mistakes and tried to figure out where it all went wrong, but I couldn't. There was just too much stuff that could have changed things." She looked at the blonde witch. "Tara, I apologize to you, because you never should have been a part of this, I was mean to you for no reason, but by that time I was just out of control." She turned to Willow. "Red," at the glare she received, she amended the statement. "Willow, I am sorry for threatening you and anything else I did to hurt you. You didn't really like me before that though, even before I slept with the Xand-man, so whatever it was I never really meant it." She spun to face Xander then. "Ok, Xander, I'm sorry I slept with you and then kicked you out, you didn't deserve it. You just happened to fall victim to my get some get gone policy. Ya know… Want. Take. Have and all that… The strangling thing was uncalled for too. That's my bad." She looked at them all now. "As for the other allegations, they are between me and other people, one of whom is off with the rest of his GI Joe buddies, and the other 2 are relaxing on clouds and playing harps. So let that go. Okay, I've said my piece, scream at me some more if you would like, I probably deserve it, but I am sorry for it all," the dark haired girl finished.  
  
Angel moved to stand behind her, with a hand on her shoulder, as Anya burst out, "You slept with my Xander! He is my orgasm partner. You can't have him!"  
  
Faith sighed and then replied, "It's in the past girlie. Calm down. I'll leave your man alone. Don't think he'd have much to do with me now anymore anyway."  
  
Anya attempted to find fault with the statement, but couldn't seem to. "Okay then." She turned to Xander. "Can we go back to your apartment and have sex now. This is boring."  
  
"Hang on a second, An," Xander replied. "How do we know this isn't all some kind of new trick Faith? Getting us all to trust you again so you can kill us in our sleep?"  
  
"Well, I guess you don't," Faith answered. "But truth be told. If I were really the cold blooded killer you all want to believe then you wouldn't have made it. I mean think about it, if I was on such a killing spree, and I don't think 2 counts as a spree, I wouldn't have had any qualms about killing you guys."  
  
"Then why didn't you?"  
  
Willow interrupted before Faith could respond, "Probably because she knew Buffy would kick her ass."  
  
"Hardly Red. B couldn't have gotten to me until later, and that still wouldn't have saved your asses. You aren't dead right now because I didn't have it in me to kill you. That's why I shot to miss on Angel too. If I had really wanted any of you dead then you would be."  
  
"She's telling the truth," Tara said quietly from behind Willow. Everyone turned to look at the shy girl. "I can read her aura."  
  
"What do you see," asked Giles curiously.  
  
"Sincerity, guilt, pain, and," she quirked her eyebrow as she continued, "love."  
  
At this Xander looked at the floor, and then took Anya's hand. "This is a whole lot to process at once. We'll talk about it all later." He and Anya walked out of the store.  
  
Tara took a look at Willow, who despite the revelation that Faith was remorseful, was still gazing at the younger girl with a mask of contempt upon her face. "I think we better go as well," the blonde said as she took her girlfriend's hand and walked out of the shop.  
  
"Well that could have been worse," Faith said as the echoes of the bell died away.  
  
"I can hardly see how," Giles replied, cleaning his glasses.  
  
"Nobody is dead right?"  
  
"Yet." 


	7. The Confession

Back at the mansion later that night, Angel walked into the former ballroom of the mansion to find Faith there stretching. She finished her routine before looking up at him shyly. "Hey. I uh… just wanted to thank you for standing up for me earlier today. It meant a lot. Nobody has really done that for me before."  
  
He smiled reassuringly at her. "Anytime. I'm proud of you for keeping your temper and apologizing. I know that was hard for you."  
  
"Yeah it was. I've never been sorry for stuff before, and other than you, Queen C and Wes, I've never apologized to anyone before. Too bad I couldn't apologize to Mrs. S and B though. Especially B, I hurt her more than anybody else. And I really didn't want to. I just couldn't stop." She took a deep breath to steady herself.  
  
"Faith, can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Seems like you just did, big guy," joking even though she didn't feel it. "Sure. Go for it."  
  
"About what the blonde witch said today."  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"Who do you love?"  
  
"Shit Angel. You really have to ask the one question that I don't want to answer."  
  
"If you don't want to you don't have to, I was just kind of curious."  
  
"Ah, hell, since you asked and it won't do any damage now. I'll just tell ya. It's B. It was always B. I've loved her since the day I met her. Hell probably even before that. My watcher told me about this little blonde girl that had used a rocket launcher to kill a demon, and I couldn't help thinking that she was my kind of girl. Then I came to Sunnydale and I fell into those green eyes and I couldn't get away from her. Mrs. S was right. Everything I did centered around Buffy. You want to know why? Because she was the only thing that want, take, have couldn't get me." For only the second time since she heard the news, Faith broke down and cried. Angel came over and put his arms around the vulnerable girl. Faith continued to sob into Angel's chest. "I would have died before I hurt her again, and she's dead now, and she doesn't even know that I'm sorry. She didn't deserve to die. I didn't even get to say goodbye. That's what hurts."  
  
"Shh… I know it hurts. But it will get easier. What did I tell you about the road to redemption?"  
  
"That it's steep as hell, but the view's a lot better from the top."  
  
Angel chuckled softly, "Close enough. Now go wash your face and we'll go for a patrol."  
  
Faith gave him her trademark half grin as she started toward the door, "Nothing like kicking vamp ass to make a girl feel better. Soulless vamp ass that is. Couldn't kick the ass of my favorite souled vamp."  
  
"Um Faith, I'm the only vampire with a soul in the world."  
  
"That's why you're my favorite," she tossed over her shoulder as she left the room.  
  
Angel was left standing in the middle of the room shaking his head as the young girl left. 'So Buffy was it for her too… I know how it feels to want the one thing you can't have. But at least I got a chance.' 


End file.
